Narrow Results

While collaborative business modeling (CBM) constitutes a promising new approach for opening up a company’s innovation process, existing literature lacks empirical evidence of the effects related to this approach. Drawing on related literature on the quality of creative output, this paper proposes that in the context of a CBM initiative, the integration of customers will improve the quality of the generated output. As indicated by the results of our empirical evaluation, customers are indeed capable of developing high quality business models and are able to outperform company experts when it comes to the task of developing new business models.

We construct numerical aneurysm models arisen from both straight and curved arteries, under the hypothesis that high local wall shear stress larger than a certain threshold value will lead to a linear decrease in the wall mechanical properties. Development of aneurysm is observed in both the straight and curved models. In the straight model, the growth of aneurysm is small and only at the distal neck region, and the aneurysm stops growing after several steps. In contrast, in the curved model, the aneurysm continues to grow in height and width. Our computer simulation study shows that even if the wall shear stress inside an aneurysm is low, aneurysm development can occur due to degeneration of the wall distal and proximal to the aneurysm. The interaction between the hemodynamic change (caused by the shape change) and the wall degeneration is key to the development of aneurysms. Our method demonstrates the potential utility of rule-based numerical methods in the investigation of developmental biology of cardiovascular diseases.

Modeling of specification events during development poses new challenges to biochemical modeling. These include data limitations and a notorious absence of homeostasis in developing systems. The sea urchin is one of the best studied model organisms concerning development and a network, the Endomesoderm Network, has been proposed that is presumed to control endoderm and mesoderm specification in the embryo of Strongy-locentrotus purpuratus. We have constructed a dynamic model of a subnetwork of the Endomesoderm Network. In constructing the model, we had to resolve the following issues: choice of appropriate subsystem, assignment of embryonic data to cellular model, choice of appropriate kinetics. Although the resulting model is capable of reproducing fractions of the experimental data, it falls short of reproducing specification of cell types. These findings can facilitate the refinement of the Endomesoderm Network.

Current debates over the future direction of the reform agenda in post-crisis East Asia have to be set in the broader context of the global debate about the role of ideas and ideology in shaping economic policy-making. Particular ideas gain primacy at one stage, but may fade at another juncture, especially at times of crisis (Blyth 2002). The core argument of this paper is that the contest of ideas in economic policy-making can evolve independently of their intellectual merit and empirical credibility. Political interests shape and mediate the process within which policy debates unfold. In the case of post-crisis East Asia, the notion that the political economies of the region need to be fundamentally reformed to re-ignite the ‘economic miracle’ of the pre-crisis era does not stem from a politically neutral, dispassionate and intellectually rigorous analysis of what went wrong in the recession-inducing 1997 financial crisis that engulfed the region. On the contrary, it represents an attempt to re-invent orthodoxy in the domain of economic ideas and ideology by a global policy community that is profoundly influenced by the US, the key international financial institutions (IFIs) over which it exerts such authority, and financial sector interests associated with ‘Wall Street’ (Beeson 2003: 305–326; Woods 2003: 92–114)…

It is hard to overstate the significance of the ‘rise of China’ for the world, let alone East Asia. Even if this is more of a re-emergence than an entrance onto the world stage, it is a development of long-term global significance the consequences of which will reverberate throughout the twenty-first century. For East Asia in particular, China’s re-emergence as a world power presents enormous opportunities and challenges — even threats, perhaps. In short, whatever the leaders of China decide to do over the coming decades it will have a profound influence on its neighbours and help to shape the East Asian region. China will have a large say in deciding whether there actually is an ‘East Asian region’ as such, or whether the dominant rubric will be something more expansive and/or inclusive. It is, therefore, important to look at China’s developmental experience in some detail as it is already the most significant actor in the region and it is likely to become more so. Indeed, for some observers, it is only a question of time before China comes to ‘rule the world’ (Jacques 2009)…

In the aftermath of the Second World War a number of features of the evolving international order were especially striking. Most obviously, the world divided into two implacably opposed ideologically and militarily opposed camps — a structurally entrenched bifurcation that was to distinguish post-war international relations for more than four decades. At the same time, an equally surprising and — arguably — important, but altogether more positive development occurred: much of East Asia began to rapidly industrialise and witnessed a concomitant and seemingly permanent rise in living standards across the region as a consequence. East Asia’s transformation was surprising because even as late as the 1960s and ’70s, influential strands of radical scholarship continued to question whether the ‘peripheral’ parts of an increasingly inter-connected global economy could ever hope to escape the predations and exploitation of the established industrial heartlands of Western Europe and North America. And yet the fact that Japan had rapidly re-established itself as East Asia’s pre-eminent industrial economy appeared to be unequivocal evidence that, not only was rapid economic development possible outside the established ‘core’ economies, but that such a processes might ultimately take on a regional and self-sustaining quality…

Blockchains as digitized, decentralized ledgers allow recordkeeping of peer-to-peer transactions, thus eliminating the need for intervening trusted third parties. This makes the technology useful in altering business processes and transactions not just across industrial sectors but also across economies. However, little research exists on the factors that impede and sponsor blockchain technology adoption in developed relative to developing country contexts. We highlight blockchain technology issues which sponsor/impede its adoption across developing/developed economic contexts. We focus on assessing the flow of money and land registries in these contexts in relation to the propensity to deploy blockchain systems. We then apply our analytical frame resting on real options principles to explore the decision point at which blockchain would be adopted relative to economic development.

The original name of iron painting is “iron flower”. It is a specialty of Wuhu City, Anhui Province, China. It has a long history and is irreplaceable in the history of Chinese culture and art. Wuhu Iron Painting is famous for its unique style, exquisite craftsmanship and superb craftsmanship. However, its development is also facing a huge bottleneck. It is necessary to use the research methods such as a field investigation, an interview method and a participation observation to explore the path of inheritance and development in light of the current background. Therefore, starting from the artistic characteristics of Wuhu iron painting, in the process of exploring its inheritance and development path, it should strengthen the iron painting art advertisement through the Internet communication and social platform, pay attention to the connotative development of Wuhu iron painting, expand the talent cultivation and training channels of Wuhu iron painting inheritance and strengthen the creation and innovation of iron painting products.

The following sections are included:

• The Continuous Promotion of Blood Bank
• The Continuous Promotion of New Technologies and Methods for Blood for Clinical Use
• Challenges of Chinese Transfusion Medicine in the Future
• Development of Blood Substitutes Research in China
• References

Yemen is one of the least developed countries in Western Asia, and the most impoverished economy in the region, especially with the current instability in the country. The condition of Yemen acts as a prohibitive factor for the business sector to grow and contribute to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), which is difficult to overcome without enforcing the laws, developing and reforming the education system and infrastructure and providing incentives to the business sector to encourage competition and establish a conducive business environment. This chapter is an attempt to present an overview of the business context in Yemen as an underdeveloped economy being different from neighbouring economies in the Gulf region and Western Asia in general.

Developing economies, especially emerging market economies (EMEs), face complex challenges in investing for growth, including building infrastructure. Many developing economies are trying to sustain the growth catch-up process, and manage disruptions related to transition to the “new economy”, as well as headwinds from protectionist tendencies in trade and technology. Investing for the long term — including in infrastructure — has therefore become a critical issue. In this context, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has captured the imagination of the world. An ambitious initiative involving more than 70 countries collaborating through investments in infrastructure, it seeks to improve connectivity for cross-border trade and investment, and generate economic benefits for the countries involved. It seeks to address large infrastructure gaps and build capacities for growth. And it helps countries unable to get affordable financing for plugging savings-investment shortfalls. However, the BRI has drawn criticisms over China’s underlying geopolitical motives, and BRI partner countries have been warned of the risk of becoming heavily indebted or getting locked into business platforms created by China. This paper aims to contribute to the policy debate over the BRI from an ASEAN perspective. It analyzes the reasons for the persistent infrastructure investment gaps in EMEs from an ASEAN perspective; assesses whether BRI is more of a development opportunity or a debt trap; outlines a framework to address the risks and concerns in order to unlock the potential benefits; and uses case studies both outside of and within the ASEAN region to distil key themes needing policy attention.

How do territorial disputes affect bilateral foreign direct investment (FDI) between claimant states? Using a difference model, we find that a regime’s position on the South China Sea (SCS) significantly impacts Chinese FDI. We used a novel dataset on firm registrations in the Philippines, finding that the annual number of new firm entrants with Chinese investment significantly increases when maritime border disputes are stabilized. In contrast, we observe that conflictual relations in the maritime borders tend to decrease the number of new firms. We also notice that disputes do not influence FDI from non-claimant states.

Innovation has been redefined as the implementation of a new product, process or organization. Adoption from a developed economy is considered innovation. The mirror image is that productivity growth accounts not only for technical change, but also efficiency change. The latter component is more important to developing economies. R&D pertains more to technical change and competition and free trade to efficiency change. Empirical studies confirm that R&D is more potent in developed economies and that competition and free trade spur development.

This chapter outlines the professional development of a correctional rehabilitation practitioner in the Singapore Prison Service. It begins by explaining how the need for practitioners to possess specialised knowledge and skills is critical in the correctional rehabilitation of offenders. Attention is drawn to the changes in the notion of the correctional rehabilitation context in the Service across time, and its implications on the level and form of professionalism of practitioners. This chapter then outlines the key elements in the professional development framework established to steer practitioners towards attaining their competencies. Specific developmental strategies targeting several principal areas, such as ethics and coaching, are described to provide examples of the training and developmental activities that practitioners undertake and experience. This chapter closes by sharing some possible adaptations in directions that may arise as the Service progresses into the future.

The tsunami disaster in 2004 had raised the poverty rate in Aceh. Development activities in Aceh following the tsunami turned out to cause more High Poverty Rates. It is expected that Baitul Ma’al Aceh should try to Reduce the level of Poverty. But its implementation is not yet optimal. From the results of the above discussion, one can identify that several problems occurred at Baitul Ma’al Aceh. The problem is divided into two parts: Internal and External Problems. The internal problems consist of (1) Institutional Issues, (2) Managerial Problems, (3) Lack of Program Variety, and (4) Lack of HR Capacity. The external problems consist of (1) Lack of supporting regulation, (2) Lack of budget provision, (3) Lack of good governance, and (4) Lack of people’s knowledge and understanding. Regarding solutions, both internal and external solutions have the same importance. Solutions for the internal problems are integrating the management, upgrading human resource capacity, product innovation, and increasing partnership. Solutions for the external problems according to priority ranking are special budget provision for Baitul Ma’al, revision in qanun, improving coordination in Baitul Ma’al, and applying know-your-customer principles. The proposed strategies based on priority ranking are setting up a blue print, special budget procurement, and upgrading the coordination and management system.

Since the late 2000s, Christian missions have been extensively researched in the fields of long-run comparative economic history. This chapter surveys the main findings of this literature. On the one hand, missionary work went beyond evangelization, as in many cases, missions engaged in activities that today we would consider to be of the realm of international development work, such as education and healthcare. Missionary investments in these sectors have been consistently associated with long-run development benefits, especially in terms of human capital accumulation. On the other hand, research on the cultural transformation sparked by missions has brought more nuanced conclusions, pointing for instance towards increased discriminating behaviors towards non-Christians or towards those not conforming to Christian norms.

Storytelling has been understood as more than a way of promoting a re-storying of the past, in which one single actor would be “the teller of the past.” Storytelling has progressed into a process in that a variety of voices are negotiating in the present how to tell the history in the future. In this context, a variety of tensions can take place. Such tensions can support versions of the past or promote forget-fulness about pieces of the story. However, the storytelling around political and power disputes between groups that have divergent interests have to be studied. In this study, I attempt to promote a political understanding of the relationship between businesses in the extractive industry, local governments, and communities. To understand the context of extractive industries in Brazil, I am exploring a link between antenarrative theory and decolonial thought. I analyze the narratives of different actors that are disputing discourses around the impacts of mining operations. The findings show that communities located in Brazilian mining areas have been concerned about water issues, environmental disasters, and economic welfare. These issues, in particular, have sparked most of the resistance against the expansion of iron ore production. There is a narrative that opposes the type of economic development and well-being that is currently promoted through mineral extraction activities. In conclusion, general dissatisfaction with the current model of development of societies is observed. However, mining companies have many economic and political resources to maintain a privileged relationship with governments and states. Therefore, they are more likely to be the guardians of the story that will be told in the future.

Truly sustainable development can be conceptualized as the sustained attempt to let something or somebody unfold its potential according to its own unique nature. Against the unsustainable paradigms of mass production and overconsumption in today’s world, this chapter presents a series of lesser-known counternarratives of sustainable development which disconnect the world of business from the anxiety of busyness and reconnects it to a broader context of being grounded and connected to the Earth, mindful of the biomechanics of our own bodies and embodying a sensitive mindset of sustainable development. This approach is aligned with the first principle of true storytelling which urges us to be true to ourselves in the sense of caring for and developing a sustainable future, not only for ourselves, but for all living beings.

The theme of Topic Study Group 40 (TSG-40) at the 14^th International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME-14) (Shanghai, China) is Research and Development on Mathematics Curriculum. TSG-40 was held worldwide on-line style in three sessions of July 13, July 16, and July 17, 2021. This article reports a concise summary of TSG-40 including its organization, theme and description, the list of presentations and program overview, the summary of presentations in the theme of four topics at TSG-40, and future directions and suggestions in the area of research and development on mathematics curriculum.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are playing a vital role in the Indian economy. SMEs contribute significantly to the nation by providing employment, generating foreign exchange, contributing to the economy, and providing goods & services to the people at affordable costs. SMEs are very crucial to removing regional disparities in many areas. To promote and uplift SMEs, the government is providing support and encouraging citizens to set up their own companies through governmental-level schemes. Startup India and Make in India are some of the schemes launched to encourage students and citizens of India who have business ideas. SMEs act as catalysts for enhancing growth. They provide many benefits to the people and also to the nation. Hence, the authors formulated the following problem statement: How do SMEs foster growth and help our country become a developed one? To answer this, the authors have set the following objectives as part of this study’s scope: (1) to identify the opportunities and challenges for SMEs in the existing scenario; (2) to assess the level of governmental support to minimize the observed challenges to the growth of SMEs.